


romance is over(rated)

by IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing



Series: High School AU [2]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, and many more cameos, cue Hongbin's cringe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-11-21 18:22:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18145772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing/pseuds/IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing
Summary: Jaehwan nips the shoulder of his best friend....except it is not his best friend.And who does it turn out to be except the glary part-time barista (and full-time sports team babysitter).How will their lives intersect? Read on to find out more!





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> *finally* The long awaited Keo sequel to the [KaiXing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12225477) story in this AU. Hope you enjoy reading this~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When school ends and Jaehwan notices Jinnie’s leather jacket at the bottom of the staircase, he doesn’t hesitate nipping the shoulder of said jacket.
> 
> He should have.
> 
> Because the person who yelps and turns around to frown at Jaehwan is most definitely not Jinnie.

There are three people Jaehwan likes to bite in greeting – his mom, his favorite cousin Hongbin, and his best friend Jin.

So, when school ends for the day and he notices Jinnie’s leather jacket at the bottom of the staircase, he doesn’t hesitate nipping the shoulder of said jacket.

_._

_._

_._

_He should have._

.

.

.

Because the person who yelps and turns around to frown at Jaehwan is most definitely not Jinnie.

Eyes bugging, Jaehwan can only gape at the slightly taller, almost feline-looking scowler for half a second before he panics and starts running down the hallway as fast as his legs would allow.

  
  
  


“Let me get this straight,” Jin said amusedly, studying the back of Jaehwan’s head, which is buried on his Chopper pillowcase. “You bit a guy’s shoulder thinking it was me, but it wasn’t, so you ran away without saying sorry?”

Jaehwan only groaned, willing the ground to swallow him whole.

He had been in this town for just over two months, enrolled in the high school for less than a week, and he’d already managed to embarrass himself for a lifetime’s worth.

“Did you at least catch who it was?” Jin’s voice persisted as he played with the figurines on Jaehwan’s bookshelf.

“No,” Jaehwan moaned, flopping onto his back and throwing a hand over his face. “But he wasn’t one of the theater or choir people I met during auditions,” Jaehwan recounted, thinking of two clubs he’d decided to audition at. He was hopeful of getting recruited by both, but for now he was busy planning an escape from the planet out of embarrassment.

“He was wearing the same jacket as you though,” Jaehwan continued, pointing his left big toe at Jin’s leather jacket. “Similar height. Oh, and he had really good RBF.”

“That should narrow our suspects down,” Jin replied, tapping his chin with his index finger.

“Nope!” Jaehwan shouted, throwing a pillow at his best friend. “Don’t wanna know. Never! Help me run away Pinkeu!”

“Running away is not an option, you overdramatic weeaboo trash,” Jin scowled, chucking the pillow right back and earning a middle finger from Jaehwan. “And where would you even go? Your mom’s travelling, and your brother’s stuck studying half the world away.”

“I hate when you throw logic at me,” Jaehwan pouted, looking like an oversized puppy.

It was true, Jaehwan was stuck in this town for the foreseeable future. His mom was busy promoting her latest art collection overseas, and had sent him to stay with his uncle and his family till he graduated, with some excuse about stability or something Jaehwan was too busy pouting to really remember.

His uncle’s family was super nice though, and he got to hang out with his favourite cousin Hongbin all the time.

Jin, his penpal-turned-best-friend who also happened to live in this town, was a wonderful added bonus; and Jaehwan was really enjoying being here, or he had been before the incident today...

“Do you think I could get some big ass glasses and a fake moustache to hide my identity?” Jaehwan asked hopefully.

“Sure thing, Clark Kent, that’s not obvious at all,” Jin rolled his eyes, walking to Jaehwan’s desk and picking up his bag. “Now, are you gonna help me with calculus or should I start cycling home?”

“Let’s do maths then,” Jaehwan replied, quickly snatching his workbook and a pencil from his desk. "What are you finding difficult to understand?"

“How about all of it?” Jin quipped sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Jaehwan sighed, flipping his book back to the first page, putting the incident from earlier at the back of his mind. _Hoping that he’ll never have to meet the person he’d bitten again_.

  
  
  


“Don’t give me those eyes, Hakyeon. They don’t work on me.”

Hakyeon only pouted in reply, jutting out his lower lip at Taekwoon, who was studying him with an unimpressed look on his face. “But I just want some extra whipped cream,” he whined, trying to appeal to his best friend’s kind side.

“Only because you’re trying to seduce that poor girl at Table 3,” Taekwoon returned, sparing a glance at the poor besotted girl gaping at Hakyeon – who was very suggestively licking his drink’s straw.

“But Taekwoonie!”

“I’m not going to be your accomplice,” Taekwoon declared, finishing the drink he’d been working on and sliding it over to the takeout counter, where Sunggyu hyung was entertaining the waiting customers. “If you want extra cream, pay for it.”

“Meanie,” Hakyeon stuck out his tongue, earning an eyeroll from Taekwoon. Immediately afterwards, Hakyeon turned in his seat to smirk coquettishly at the staring – and now blushing – girl, and Taekwoon sighed, concentrating on his next order.

Taekwoon enjoyed working as a barista, part-time as he did, after school most days. There was something very cathartic about making coffee, and just the smell of the brewing made him feel grounded. Plus, Sunggyu hyung was kind enough to let him drink two Americanos on the house every day, and really, Taekwoon couldn’t ask for a better deal.

He was halfway through making a latte macchiato when Hakyeon suddenly perked up in his chair, catching Taekwoon’s attention.

“What now?” Taekwoon asked, starting on his next order – a plain cup of mangosteen tea.

“Isn’t that Jaehwan?” Hakyeon asked, squinting towards the far end of the café.

“Who?”

“Lee Jaehwan. Transfer student and our new theatre recruit. Hella great voice,” Hakyeon explained, turning to face Taekwoon again. “You’d like him.”

“First of all, no one actually says hella, Hakyeon,” Taekwoon shot back, expertly pouring the latte macchiato in its designated cup, and sliding it over to Sunggyu hyung. “Secondly, another dramatic theatre guy is what I need in my life. Totally,” he finished sarcastically, letting the tea to steep.

“Whatever, Regina George,” Hakyeon rolled his eyes, standing up and straightening his shirt. “I’m gonna go say hi.” And with that Hakyeon strolled away, detouring to drop by Table 3.

Taekwoon shook his head at his best friend’s shamelessness, wondering yet again why he was best friends with possibly the most flamboyant personality of their school.

 _Because he befriended you when everyone was too scared to sit beside you_ , Taekwoon’s mind supplied. _And he has never let you go since_.

Okay, so maybe Hakyeon was kinda sweet, but Taekwoon would rather die than admit it aloud.

It was with that thought Taekwoon looked up towards the far end of the café, where Hakyeon was now talking to a boy in a grey hoodie who was facing away from the counter. They were having a very excited conversation, accompanied by lots of hand gestures, so Taekwoon looked away, concentrating back on his orders.

“It _was_ Jaehwanie,” Hakyeon beamed, reclaiming his seat and extending his empty glass towards Taekwoon with a wheedling smile.

Taekwoon sighed, but poured his best friend another glass of banana smoothie, deliberately not adding any whipped cream. Hakyeon rolled his eye before drifting down the counter to talk to Sunggyu hyung, who happened to be free at that moment.

Taekwoon once again surveyed the café, eye drifting over the queue of customers, the bookshelf in the corner and the signature checkered tablecloth adorning the many tables. For some reason, his eyes gravitated towards a fluffy head of hair seated at the far end of the café. Something about the silhouette of the boy in the grey hoodie tickled Taekwoon’s memory, but he didn’t yet know what, and it was –

“Taek?” Sunggyu hyung’s voice broke his trance.

“Yes, hyung?” he snapped back to reality, immediately facing the friendly café owner.

“Matcha bubble tea?” Sunggyu hyung asked carefully, looking down at where Taekwoon had definitely let the tea steep for too long. _Shit_!

“Two minutes, hyung!” he apologized, quickly bowing to both Sunggyu hyung and the customer, and quickly going about making a replacement drink, ignoring Hakyeon’s inquisitive stare.

He decided to concentrate fully on his orders from then on, and continued doing so for the better part of the next hour and a half – even ignoring Hakyeon’s whining about being bored.

When Taekwoon next peeked another glance to the back of the café where he – Jaehwan – was sitting, the boy was gone, and Taekwoon was only left with a curiously frustrated feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Let me know what you think~


	2. What's in a name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s Taekwoon sunbae-nim,” Jaehwan admitted.
> 
> Jin blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice even. “Captain of our freaking sports squad, makes-the-rivals-pee-their-pants-with-one-glare Jung Taekwoon?”
> 
> Jaehwan whimpered, slumping down head-first into the bedsheet.
> 
> “It’s been nice knowing you.” Jin surmised, already planning what to say at his best friend’s funeral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for tuning in to the second installment of this story. Hope you enjoy~

Jaehwan walks into the café with his head lowered, hands already counting out the exact change for his regular drink.

He’s taken to frequenting this café every Tuesday and Thursday, mostly because his choir practice finished an hour earlier than Beanie’s guitar lessons, and they both travelled back to their home together.

He’d come here first on Jinnie’s suggestion, and kept coming back because of their drink and dessert selection. It did help that Myungsoo, his friend from Advanced Art Class, usually manned the ordering counter during his weekly visits. And Jaehwan always had a good time chatting with him and Sunggyu hyung, the cafe owner who was really funny (and really cute too)!

Jaehwan’s debating whether to have macaroons or a croissant with his drink when he reaches the front of the queue.

“Hey Artwork,” Jaehwan greets Myungsoo, eyes focused on the dessert counter. “I’ll have my regular drink and however many macaroons Gyu hyung will let me have for the price of one.”

“Gyu hyung is not in today, so I’m gonna say…you get one macaroon!” Myungsoo quipped, and Jaehwan internally wondered why he was surrounded by this many sarcastic assholes. “Also," Myungsoo continued. "I’m gonna recommend you to have a latte today. Taek hyung’s doing a replacement shift, and his lattes are really amazing.”

“Grool!” Jaehwan teased, counting out the necessary extra change. “One hazelnut latte, with extra syrup, and one solitary all-berry macaroon because you’re a cruel person.”

Myungsoo goodnaturedly rolled his eyes at Jaehwan's theatrics, handing over Jaehwan’s order token before calling the next person up to the counter.

Jaehwan was still smiling when he came in front of the coffee counter where a tall guy (with impressive shoulders) was fiddling with the coffee machine.

“Just a minute,” impressive shoulders said in the softest of soothing voices, turning a knob on the mammoth machine and standing up on his tiptoes to check inside a chamber.

“No problem,” Jaehwan assured, wrenching his eyes off the barista’s broad back (and less than adequate ass) attractively outlined in the café’s fitted black uniform shirt, and took out his phone to play a round of DOTS.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Would you mind telling me your order?” impressive shoulders said pleasantly.

“One hazelnut latte,” Jaehwan spoke as he locked his phone and looked up. “And one – oh shit it’s you!” he segued, eyes bugging out as he stared at the feline eyes of the person he’d bitten almost a month ago.

“Wait!,” Taekwoon said, recognizing him. “You’re the one wh- wait! Where are you going? Come back!” He raised his voice, deliberating whether to vault over the counter and chase the fleeing boy, but once again the boy was gone, running away and out of the café at an impressive speed.

“But I just want to talk,” Taekwoon mumbled mostly to himself, before looking up and finding the collective eyes of the café fixed on him. 

An uncomfortable pregnant pause settled, making Taekwoon fidget until Sungyeol clapped his hands, claiming everyone's attention.

“Just a prank between friends! No need to be alarmed!” Sungyeol beamed from where he was manning the savory snacks counter, and Myungsoo chuckled, further putting people at ease.

As everyone went back to what they were doing, Taekwoon nodded gratefully at the juniors, and made sure to smile at the next person who had lined up in front of his counter.

“What was that earlier?” Myungsoo finally asked at the end of the day, when they finished their shift and are busy changing into regular clothes in the back room.

“What do you mean?” Taekwoon asked, putting on his socks and wriggling his toes.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Taek hyung. Why’d you scare Jaehwan?”

Taekwoon’s head snapped up at that. “Did you say Jaehwan? Transfer student Lee Jaehwan? That was him?”

“Well duh,” Myungsoo rolled his eyes, wrestling out of his turtleneck. “Wait, why do you look pale? Hyung, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Taekwoon dismissed, slipping on his shoes and quickly rising to his feet. “Just remembered something I gotta do. Bye!” And with that he speedwalked away, leaving a dumbfounded Myungsoo staring at his back.

  
  
  
  


“Jingle Bells!,” Jaehwan shouted, slamming the door of Jin’s bedroom open and causing him to choke on the popsicle he’d just begun eating.

“What the fuck, Hwanie?” Jin chided once he had gotten over his coughing fit.

“My life is over,” Jaehwan proclaimed melodramatically, resting his hands on his knees and panting like a winded buffalo. “I found his name. Ohmygod Jinnie, I’m doomed!”

“Calm down, drama queen.” Jin rolled his eyes and trashed his popsicle before nudging the foot of his bed, gesturing for Jaehwan to sit down. “It can’t be that bad.”

“You don’t understand,” Jaehwan shuddered, plopping down on Jin’s Super Mario themed bedsheet.

“Just tell me, will you?”

“It’s Taekwoon sunbae-nim,” Jaehwan admitted, eyes becoming impossibly round.

Jin blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice even, processing the information. “Jung Taekwoon? Captain of our freaking sports squad, makes-the-rivals-pee-their-pants-with-one-glare, Jung Taekwoon?”

Jaehwan whimpered, slumping down head-first into the bedsheet.

The moment he'd gotten a safe distance away from the cafe, Jaehwan had gone onto Facebook to look up Taekwoon - who despite not having an account - had multiple mentions. Jaehwan had quickly surfed through the photos and videos, growing alarmed as he watched footage after footage of the star player tackling, scoring and glaring. Fearing for his impending demise, Jaehwan had then rushed to Jinnie's, and now here he was hyperventilating and sweating like no one's business all over Jinnie's bedsheets. 

“Shit, Hwanie.” Jin surmised, already planning what to say at his best friend’s funeral. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

“Help me!” Jaehwan whimpered, lifting his head to pout beseechingly at his bestie.

“And what, get myself murdered by one-glare-to-rule-them-all? No thanks!” Jin shook his head. “Of all people you had to go bite Taekwoon sunbae’s shoulder? You got some severely terrible luck, man.”

Jaehwan only groaned, burying his head back onto the mound of Jinnie’s blankets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~  
> Let me know what you think!


	3. A Luminous Foil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You lied, didn’t you?” Taekwoon asked.
> 
> “You can prove nothing!” Jaehwan whispered, playfully narrowing his eyes.
> 
>  _Another overdramatic theatre guy_ , Taekwoon recalled his earlier words to Hakyeon, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Jaehwan devises a full-proof plan to avoid encountering a certain glary athlete.

He goes to classes super-early to avoid being spotted in hallways, has his lunch in one of the marching band's practice rooms, and takes a break from the arts clubs (where he knows Hakyeon hyung, Taekwoon sunbae’s best friend, reigns). Instead, he stays in late and practices with the math olympiad team, and on the days he's not practicing, he volunteers at a animal shelter a good 2 miles away from the cafe.

Jaehwan hopes to continue this routine for however long it takes for:

a) him to save up money to reconstruct his face

or

b) Taekwoon sunbae to graduate.

Jaehwan’s full-proof plan unfortunately didn’t account for needing to use the washroom, and that is where he encounters Jung Taekwoon again, 10 days into his plan.

“Shit!” Jaehwan swore, preparing to flee, but Taekwoon – who had been drying his hands by the sink – leaped, and in two strides caged Jaehwan against the tiled wall of the bathroom.

“Just wait, will you?” Taekwoon breathed in a frustrated tone, studying the way Jaehwan had scrunched shut his eyes.

“Please don’t kill me,” Jaehwan whimpered, trying to melt into the wall.

“What?” Taekwoon blinked confusedly, caught off-guard.

“I’m sorry I bit you, I thought you were Jinnie. But you’re not. So I panicked and ran. Please don’t kill me,” Jaehwan gushed out in one breath.

Taekwoon blinked again.

“I’m not planning to kill you,” Taekwoon said slowly, still holding his chance. He had to resist the urge to coo when Jaehwan peeked open an eye to verify his truth.

“But then, why are you trying to talk to me?” Jaehwan asked confusedly, frowning slightly.

Taekwoon looked skywards, as if searching for inspiration or maybe patience. “You talk too much.” he finally proclaimed. “Come by the café after 5. I’ll get you a replacement drink. For the other day.”

Before Jaehwan could ask another inane question or give his answer, the door to the washroom banged open and Baekhyun strolled in. He stopped however to observe how Taekwoon had his hands bracketing Jaehwan against the wall, and how panic-stricken Jaehwan looked.

“Is he bullying you?” Baekhyun asked Jaehwan in a fierce voice, ready to bitch-slap Taekwoon if he was indeed found guilty of bullying Baekhyun’s new friend. _Taekwoon may have had a good twenty pounds of muscle on Baekhyun, but Baekhyun knew how to fight dirty, okay?_

“What?” Taekwoon said at the same time that Jaehwan practically shouted “No!” 

Baekhyun glanced again at how close the two were standing, almost leaning towards each other, before revising his initial assessment.

“Ah!” he smirked. “Sexual tension then. Don’t let me interrupt!” And with a sleazy wink, he cackled away to one of the bathroom stalls.

“Never mind him,” Taekwoon shook his head, already used to Baekhyun’s antics. “Will you come?” he asked, leaning in a bit more to stare intensely at Jaehwan.

Jaehwan fluttered his eyes and chewed his lips for a moment, feeling flustered, before looking up at Taekwoon through his lashes. “Can I…bring a friend?”

“Why?” Taekwoon asked curiously.

“We travel together. And well, you’re slightly intimidating. S _lightly_.” Jaehwan stressed, hating the frown forming on Taekwoon’s face.

“I think you two should be intimately dating,” Baekhyun commented from inside his stall, and Taekwoon turned to glare at the bathroom door. _Jaehwan was surprised it did not sizzle into a molten puddle._

“This afternoon. At 5. Only _your_ drink is free.” Taekwoon instructed, _finally_ releasing Jaehwan. “Now leave so I can strangle Baekhyun in peace.”

“Kinky, but I’m not about that life.” Jaehwan heard Baekhyun comment cheerily as he willed his quaking knees to walk out of the washroom. “Also, if you don’t want Hakyeon hyung to show up in half a minute, I suggest we strike a different bargain. You see-.”

Baekhyun’s voice got cut off as Jaehwan slid the door closed behind him, and leaned against the wall outside the washroom, trying to rid his body of the residual adrenaline from his near-death experience. _Jinnie_. _He had to let Jinnie know_. Jaehwan unlocked his phone and sent an SOS message to his best friend, already moving towards the 2nd floor washroom beside Jin’s ongoing physics lab.

  
  
  


 

Taekwoon’s watch reads 5:10 pm when Jaehwan rushed into the cafe, dragging someone by the elbow.

Jaehwan’s eyes flickered through the cafe frantically before settling on and beelining for Taekwoon, who - for once has no queue waiting in from of him and - definitely was not checking his watch for the 7th time since 5:00 pm.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Jaehwan apologized, still sounding a little out of breath. “We got out of the library a little too late, and missed our first bus. Please, don’t be angry!”

Taekwoon sighed, unused to being bombarded by the volume and intensity of words Jaehwan had uttered in one breath, before nodding at Jaehwan and the vaguely familiar-looking boy still stuck to his side.

“It’s fine,” Taekwoon assured. “What would you like to have?”

“Myungsoo recommended your latte. Can I have hazelnut flavoured? With like, two pumps of syrup?” Jaehwan asked. Taekwoon nodded, noting down his order.

“And Binnie? What do you want?" Jaehwan asked, turning to his cousin. "It's hyung’s treat!” 

“Iced matcha latte, please, and a triple chocolate cookie to share,” the boy addressed as Binnie answered, finally managing to extract his hand from Jaehwan’s octopus grip before facing Taekwoon. “I’m Hongbin, Hwanie hyung’s cousin. It’s nice to meet you, sunbae-nim.”

Sunggyu - who definitely was not eavesdropping - appeared behind Taekwoon, and spoke over Taekwoon’s soft voice asking for the bill. “You two are cousins? I’d never have guessed!”

Jaehwan gasped, quickly handing over the exact change for Binnie’s order to Taekwoon, before fully focusing on Sunggyu.

“Slander,” he proclaimed, dragging an exasperated Hongbin back into a side-hug. “Binnie, smile on the count of 3. 1, 2, 3!” With that, both Jaehwan and Hongbin broke out into identical eye-crinkling, square grins.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," Sunggyu hyung proclaimed, sending them a double thumbs up. "Hongbin, do you also do aegyo like out Jaehwanie here?"

Hongbin's face drained of all colour as he frantically shook his head, prompting Jaehwan to burst into a round of aegyo. The display was so funny that even Taekwoon had to crack a lopsided smile.

Sunggyu laughed before asking, “Are you friends with our Daeguni?”

Wondering who Daeguni is, both Jaehwan and Hongbin looked over the space before focusing back on Taekwoon and the murderous glare he was wearing. _Oh_.

“Hyung,” Taekwoon whined, ending his call-me-Daeguni-and-die glare at the duo. “We’ve talked about this, don’t call me _that_ in public.”

“Sorry, kid,” Sunggyu apologized, not sounding the least bit contrite. “I’ll leave you to carry on. It’s nice meeting you, Hongbin," Sunggyu continued, moving towards the waiting area. "And Jaehwanie, how about a cookie for that wonderful display of aegyo?”

“Thank you, Gyu hyung! You’re the best!” Jaehwan beamed, taking his order slip and motioning for Hongbin to go pick a seat.

“You can go too,” Taekwoon suggested, signaling for Sungyeol to take over the cash counter. “Both your drinks will be ready in 3 minutes, and then you can collect from Sunggyu hyung.”

“Alright then. Thank you,” Jaehwan smiled softly, looking straight at Taekwoon. And Taekwoon blinked, suddenly seeing stars in broad daylight.

  
  
  
  


Not even half an hour later, Jaehwan walked back to the counter, carrying a tray filled with used tableware.

“You didn’t need to bring it back,” Taekwoon commented, immediately reaching out to take the tray from him.

“I know,” Jaehwan smiled cryptically. “Mind if I sit at the counter a little bit?”

Taekwoon nodded, sparing a glance across the cafe. “Where’s your cousin?” he asked, opening a drawer and taking out a mop and the lemon-scented disinfectant spray. _Might as well clean the countertop_.   

“The mean Bean ditched me for his best friend,” Jaehwan pouted, gesturing towards the bookshelves, where Hongbin was excitedly talking with another hoodie-sporting guy.

“You really like nicknames, don’t you?” Taekwoon smirked, before focusing on his work again.

“Well yeah,” Jaehwan admitted sheepishly, settling down on a stool. “And you like coffee?” he asked tentatively, gesturing at a half-finished cup of americano cooling beside the coffee grinder.

Taekwoon knew Jaehwan was trying to make small talk, but it didn’t feel awkward, and so - unlike with most people - he continued to banter.

“Clearly,” Taekwoon quipped, gesturing around the cafe.

Jaehwan giggled, before settling down and going back to quietly observing Taekwoon’s work.

“You’re new here, right?” Taekwoon ventured, now cleaning around the espresso machine. He didn’t quite want to say I haven’t seen your face before, but he still wanted to know Jaehwan's story.

“It’s a long story,” Jaehwan began with a sheepish smile. “You see, I-”

“Hyung!” Hongbin interrupted, suddenly appearing by his side. “Would you mind waiting another hour-ish? Channie and I wanna game for a bit. Or if it’s too long, you can go home earlier?”

“No problem, Bingbong,” Jaehwan smiled, ruffling the hair of the boy who, he knew, hated travelling alone. “I’ll wait here. In fact, I’ll get started on my Art Theory homework!” Jaehwan said brightly.

Hongbin whooped and promised to be back as soon as he could, and then waved goodbye, bounding outside to join his friend.

“You lied, didn’t you?” Taekwoon asked, when the two boys disappeared from view. “You have no homework.”

“You can prove nothing!” Jaehwan whispered, playfully narrowing his eyes.

 _Another overdramatic theatre guy_ , Taekwoon recalled his earlier words to Hakyeon, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “If you want,” he proposed. “I can show you around the neighbourhood a bit. You being new and all that.”

“But aren’t you working?” Jaehwan asked.

“I have an hour-long break in 15 minutes,” Taekwoon shrugged. “If you sit somewhere, I’ll come fetch you when I’m done? If you're interested, that is.”

Jaehwan nodded excitedly. “I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind? I do actually have two problems left to solve in my physics worksheet.”

Taekwoon nodded in reply, taking his mop to the other end of the counter where Sunggyu hyung was definitely _not_ eavesdropping again.

“Hyung, I nee-” he began, only to be interrupted by Sunggyu.

“I know, I know. I eavesdropped, not ashamed at all,” he grinned, eyes quickly darting to Jaehwan, who was busy fixing his headphones around his head.

“So?” Taekwoon nudged, raising his eyebrows.

“Take as much time as you need,” Sunggyu replied generously, before his demeanour turned mischievous. “Our Daeguni with a crush, hyung is so proud.”

“Noone has a crush,” Taekwoon crossly shushed him. “I’m just being polite.”

“Woohyunie is going to be so excited, our little baby has grown up!” Sunggyu replied, absolutely ignoring Taekwoon in favour of texting his boyfriend about the latest update.

Taekwoon sighed, resuming wiping down the workspace. When his phone started blitzing with incoming messages from Woohyun hyung not even a minute later, Taekwoon finally gave into the urge to roll his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	4. Starry Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What happened?”, Jin asked.
> 
> “Sunbae wanted to buy me a replacement drink, because I’d run out after paying that other time,” Jaehwan snorted, remembering.
> 
> “And?” Jin asked, sensing that his best friend was leaving out something.
> 
> “And what?” Jaehwan asked nonchalantly.
> 
> “Don’t act all innocent, what else?”

They’ve been strolling around the streets for a good half an hour already, Taekwoon pointing out landmarks and Jaehwan sharing terrible puns, when Taekwoon asked Jaehwan again why he moved to their town.

Jaehwan recaps about his mother’s art exhibition tours and her wish for stability during his high school years. And how that had resulted in him being shipped to his uncle’s house, and relegated to receiving a postcard or souvenir every couple of weeks.

“Your mom sounds really cool,” Taekwoon commented, steering Jaehwan around a crack in the pavement for the umpteenth time by subtlely pulling on his sleeve. “You must be close for her to have influenced you so much.”

“We are really close,” Jaehwan perked up, eyes busy drinking in the sights around them. “I found my love for the arts from watching her paint and sing along with the radio. Mom always used to say that she lived with her head in the clouds, which forced my older brother to grow up a realist. But I followed in her footsteps, a dreamer right down to my heart,” he sighed wistfully, suddenly stopping.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Jaehwan asked, looking up at the sky.

After ensuring they were not obstructing anyone's way, Taekwoon followed his gaze to also look up to the sky.

At first glance, it seemed quite ordinary, a mishmash of oranges and blues and pinks. But the longer he stared, the more fascinated he became by the blending hues up in the sky. Eventually, he sighed, coming back to himself and nudging Jaehwan with his shoulder to keep moving.

“I like sunsets. And sunrises. And the night sky. And rainy skies,” Jaehwan listed, before shaking his head. “Beautiful to look at, wonderful to sing about. But enough about me, tell me about yourself. Are you a dreamer too?”

Taekwoon doesn’t know how to answer that.

He wouldn't qualify himself as a dreamer, but he remembers a time not too long ago when he wanted to learn to play piano and compose, to audition for theatre alongside Hakyeon in their freshman year. He remembers though, of acing the sports trials and being recruited into their A team, youngest debut on the field from their district, and how that had taken over his life, and become a point of pride for his family, his own quiet dreams buried down.

“I’m not. I’m too practical and serious, I’ve been told,” Taekwoon surmised at long last, stealing a glance at his companion. “I’m-I play sports, as you know. I do ok in my studies, work part-time at the cafe. And that’s all there is to me.”

They walked in relative silence for another few minutes before Taekwoon sighed. “You must think I’m boring,” he said, side eyeing Jaehwan, who was once again looking off into the distance.

“Not at all, sunbae,” Jaehwan shook his head vehemently. “I don’t think that at all. I think you-,” he paused, rummaging around his pockets before extracting his vibrating phone.

“Oh,” he replied reading a message. “Binnie is done, and waiting for me by the bus stop. I’ve got to go now,” he continued distractedly, quickly opening the Maps app on his phone. “Thanks for the drink. And the walk. And the talk. And the whole not killing me thing,” he chuckled. “Goodbye sunbae!”

And with that Jaehwan left, waving at Taekwoon till he reached the end of the road and disappeared around the bend. And Taekwoon turned around to walk back to the cafe, never once looking up back at the starlit sky.

  
  


Sometime later, when Jaehwan enters his room, he finds Jin sprawled across his bed, flipping through a manga.

He'd requested Jinnie to come by, after the incident with Taekwoon earlier that morning. But he definitely hadn't asked Jinnie to usurp his bed, blankets, plushies and homerun balls. And yet, here they were...

“You look more alive than I’d have thought,” Jin remarked dryly, assessing Jaehwan from head to toe. “I don’t need to iron my funeral suit?”

Jaehwan dropped his bag near his desk, before flipping his best friend. “I think I liked it better when we were penpals, and I did not have to deal with your sarcastic ass all the time.”

Jin chuckled, sticking out his tongue. “What happened?” he asked, closing the manga and snuggling into the blankets.

“Sunbae wanted to buy me a replacement drink, because I’d run out after paying that other time,” Jaehwan snorted, remembering.

“And?” Jin asked, sensing that his best friend was leaving out something.

“And what?” Jaehwan asked nonchalantly.

“Don’t act all innocent, what else?”

“He showed me around the neighbourhood a bit,” Jaehwan replied, shrugging out of his hoodie. “He’s really nice, Jinnie. Not at all scary.”

Jin stared at him hard for a few seconds. “You sound...smitten?” he said hesitantly.

“I’m not smitten,” Jaehwan laughed, dropping into his chair to take off his watch and rings. “I’m just thankful, I guess. That he’s not mad about the biting thing.”

“So you’re going back to the arts clubs, then?” Jin ventured.

“Yep!” Jaehwan nodded excitedly. “And just in time for the year-end auditions. Do you think I should go for singing, drama or both?” Jaehwan asked excitedly.

“Whatever you do, Hakyeon hyung is going to be ecstatic,” Jin predicted.

“Only if he doesn’t kill me first,” Jaehwan muttered in an undertone, making Jin giggle. “Anyway, I’m guessing you’re staying the night because you got stuck on our calculus homework?” Jaehwan asked, pointedly looking at the overnight bag Jin had parked by the bed.

Jin looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Help?”

Jaehwan snorted, already reaching for his workbook.

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, Hakyeon doesn’t kill him, although Jaehwan does get smothered into a crushing hug _(and warned never to pull such a stunt again if he valued his limbs)_.

Jaehwan goes back to resuming activities in full blast, and even starts working part-time at a pet store with Baekhyun, spending his time there while Hongbin does his guitar classes. His excursions to the cafe - only a half mile away from the pet store - become limited, but he doesn’t encounter Taekwoon again.

Jaehwan sees him from afar though, always walking with an impassive face in hallways, often accompanied by either Hakyeon hyung or Yixing sunbae. But Jaehwan doesn’t dare approach, unsure of where they stand, until one fine day he’s in the cafe and Taekwoon happens to be there too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~ Let me know what you think!


	5. Enchantment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hello sunbae! Remember me?” Jaehwan beamed.
> 
> “Hi Jaehwan,” Taekwoon greeted. “Call me hyung, please.”
> 
> Jaehwan’s eyes crinkled happily. “Hyungie, I have a small favor to ask!”
> 
> Taekwoon nodded warily, gesturing for Jaehwan to proceed.

On Wednesday, Taekwoon has to stay behind after school to bail two of his players out of detention scheduled for a game night, and that makes him miss his bus.

And so he’s an hour late to his shift. But Sunggyu hyung brushes his apologies off with a smile, and only tells Taekwoon to get changed quickly and get working. Myungsoo, manning the coffee station, mockingly tuts as Taekwoon passes by, earning a well-deserved kick to his ankle.

When Taekwoon reemerges from the backroom, haphazardly fixing his apron over his thermal, Myungsoo is in the middle of brewing 3 different drinks, which is two too many for him.

Taekwoon opens his mouth to let Myungsoo know he’ll take over, and promptly shuts it when he catches sight of the customer who Sunggyu hyung is currently serving.

 _Jaehwan_.

Taekwoon jolts, drinking in the boy with the bright smile, who is dressed today in an oversized graphic tee and khaki pants, and giggling at whatever story Sunggyu hyung is sharing. 

They hadn't talked since their stroll around the neighbourhood all those time ago, but Taekwoon had seen and _heard_ him passing by in the hallways. Hakyeon taking a liking to and gushing over Jaehwan's voice had only made the junior more familiar in Taekwoon's thoughts. And now here he was, in the cafe, laughter ringing bright and etching itself onto the forefront of Taekwoon’s mind.  

 _So it wasn’t a fluke_ , Taekwoon thinks, observing Jaehwan with a escalating heartbeat. _His smile really is blinding_.

Jaehwan doesn’t look particularly striking, nor is his built extraordinary, but his eye-crinkling smile…it’s in a league of its own, and Taekwoon can’t help but stare.

Taekwoon actually does stare till Jaehwan’s order is ringed up, and only when the fluffy haired boy retreats to the sitting area does Taekwoon join the service area, after taking in a much-needed deep breath.

Once he's there, Myungsoo happily returns to the cash counter, allowing Sungyeol to take over the floor, and Taekwoon shakes his head, concentrating on the orders he has to make.

Surreptitiously however, Taekwoon allows his eyes to roam the café.  _Searching_ …till he locates Jaehwan, who’s sitting at a corner, back turned towards the counter and headphones stuck firmly around his head.

And Taekwoon glances at him, again and again as he works, torn between wanting to hear Jaehwan’s laughter for himself, and wanting to get that imprint of Jaehwan’s grin out of his mind.

When it’s dinnertime that night, and his mother asks him if anything noteworthy happened, Taekwoon perfunctorily tells her about his teammates’ detention debacle while toying with the stir-fry vegetables on his plate. But all the while, his mind replays Jaehwan’s smiling face on a loop.

He almost tells his mother about him, but doesn’t. They’re not the kind to share details like this.

His only other option is Hakyeon, and Taekwoon would rather do a hundred one-handed pushups than broadcast on Radio Hakyeon.

_All he can do now is to avoid thinking of Lee Jaehwan and his sunshine smile._

  
  
  
  


Taekwoon’s ‘Avoid Thinking About Jaehwan’ Strategy comes to an untimely end during his next replacement shift, when he’s busy manning the cash counter while Myungsoo takes a mini nap in the backroom.

It’s a slow evening, so Taekwoon doesn’t mind reading his Economics textbook out openly. Hell, Wendy is reading some schi-fi novel, and even Sunggyu hyung is browsing through Instagram! At least Taekwoon is cramming for exams!

A prim cough  makes him look up from where he’s glaring at his book, and Taekwoon comes face to face with-

“Hello sunbae! Remember me?” Jaehwan beamed, flashing a mega-watt smile.

“Hi Jaehwan,” Taekwoon greeted, blinking away stars from his eyes and bookmarking his page in the book. “Call me hyung, please.”

Jaehwan’s eyes crinkled happily. “Okay, Hyungie. I have a small favor to ask!”

“Favour?” Taekwoon raised an eyebrow curiously. _What could Jaehwan even want from him?_  

“Teeny one,” Jaehwan reassured, gesturing with his left hand, showing an inch of space between his thumb and index finger.

Taekwoon nodded warily, gesturing for Jaehwan to proceed.

“I need you to get me the sharpener from Myungsoo’s satchel under the counter.”

Taekwoon blinked. “What?”

“Myungsoo keeps his art stuff in the front left pocket of his satchel,” Jaehwan explained, shrugging. "Get me his sharpener?"

“And you know this how?” Taekwoon asked, bending to rummage through Myungsoo’s bag, finding the sharpener exactly where Jaehwan said it would be.

“We share homeroom?” Jaehwan shrugged again, pocketing the stationery. “Speaking of, I heard Baekhyun and Chanyeol almost set the room on fire this morning. Were you there?”

“Right,” Taekwoon sighed, because he’s had a long day, and Economics was a doozy, and of course Jaehwan would choose to be chatty today. _Never mind that the duo did almost set the homeroom on fire, or that Wonshik had appeared out of nowhere bearing a fire extinguisher to save the day. That was irrelevant._ “Anything else I could do for you, Jaehwan?”

“Oh,” Jaehwan quieted down some, smile disappearing upon noticing the tiredness on Taekwoon’s face. "I'm sorry, I must be bothering you."

"You're not," Taekwoon quickly reassured. "Econ is killing me."

"I'm sorry," Jaehwan replied, biting at his lip. "I wish I could help you, but all I know of Econ is millenials are killing all industries. And I got that from a trashy website!" 

Taekwoon snorted softly, feeling relieved when Jaehwan cracked a smile again. "Well, you're not wrong. But since you're here, would you like to order anything?"

“I’d like a cup of green tea with honey. Hot, please,” Jaehwan said softly.

“You don’t want coffee?” Taekwoon asked incredulously. 

“Coffee and I don’t mix well,” Jaehwan wrinkled his nose. “Too much energy.”

“Got it,” Taekwoon nodded, printing the receipt. “It will be-”

“Here,” Jaehwan interjected, holding out the exact change. “I’m a fan,” he added, studying the curious look settling on Taekwoon’s face.

“Here’s your receipt then,” Taekwoon replied, stepping into the service area to begin making the tea. “Please enjoy!”

“You too, hyung!” Jaehwan smiled, before widening his eyes comically. “I mean, I hope you have a nice day. Not that you can’t enjoy. You seem like you enjoy the job, but I don’t want to assume anything. Or be rude. And ohmygod, could you please stop me?”

“I get what you meant,” Taekwoon replied, biting down on a chuckle, quickly removing the tea bag and then pouring honey into the drink. “And your drink’s ready.”

“Give it to me so I can go sit in the corner and cry over half my life choices,” Jaehwan snatched at the drink, muttered a thanks at Taekwoon before speedwalking to a table located behind a pillar.

Taekwoon finally let out a chuckle when Jaehwan disappears from view, quickly schooling his features back into a neutral glare when Myungsoo appeared, rubbing at his eyes.

“What did I miss?” he yawned, mussing up his hair.

“Just Taek having the longest conversation of his work life,” Sunggyu hyung piped up from where he was still glued to his phone.

“Wait, Taekwoon hyung talks?” Myungsoo gasped, clutching at his chest and making Wendy snort.

“Only to cute guys wearing sweaters with Cookie Monster on it,” Sunggyu hyung supplied, and the other two giggled, only to stop and pretend to be busy when Taekwoon glared at them _._

_Okay, so Avoid Thinking about Jaehwan was a bust. Maybe his fascination would wear off over time?_

  
  
  
  


A whole fortnight passes before Taekwoon sees Jaehwan again, at school.

Taekwoon’s snacking between classes at his locker when he hears two loud voices arguing over the cacophony of people chatting in the hallway. Looking up with his cheeks stuffed with muffin, Taekwoon catches sight of - yep! there's Baekhyun and Jaehwan having an overexcited and _loud_ discussion at the other end of the hallway.

Jaehwan looks…nice, dressed in a pinstriped half shirt, with his hair pushed back, and – oh, is his hair dyed?

Taekwoon stares at Jaehwan’s soft brown lightened hair, wondering if it would be as fluffy to touch as it looks; wondering if-

“Taekwoon hyung, hi!” Jaehwan beams when they pass him, waving wildly, and Taekwoon can only nod jerkily before turning towards his locker – with reddened ears – and gulping down the muffin.

When he turns back, Jaehwan and Baekhyun are walking away, up the staircase, but there’s a guy at the bottom of the staircase looking at Taekwoon oddly. He’s tall, and wearing a leather jacket, and fixing Taekwoon with a puzzled look.

Taekwoon stares back impassively till the boy shakes his head and bounds up the stairs behind the two _loud_ juniors, and Taekwoon wipes his face clean of muffin crumbs before strolling to his next class.

 

 

 

 

 

He’s eating another muffin when Jaehwan appeared in the café that afternoon.

“Let me guess, green tea with honey?” Myungsoo teased, greeting Jaehwan with a dimpled smile.

“And a scoop of soft serve,” Jaehwan pointed at their newly installed ice-cream machine. “You guys should give me a discount. I come around at least 3 days every week.”

“Take it up with Gyu hyung,” Myungsoo quipped, sliding over Jaehwan’s order slip onto Taekwoon’s station, where Taekwoon had already begun making the drink.

“Hi, Hyung!” Jaehwan greeted, lowering his voice to an acceptable decibel level as he hopped to a stop in front of Taekwoon’s station.

“Your hair’s different,” Taekwoon commented nonchalantly, adding honey to the tea.

“Jinnie dyed it last night. Do you like it?” Jaehwan asked, eyes shining with excitement.

“Your tea’s ready,” Taekwoon offered instead, sliding over the cup to the service counter, where Wendy was standing.

“And my ice cream?” Jaehwan pouted, looking like an overgrown puppy.

“Oh, what flavor would you like?” Taekwoon asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

“What flavor do you like?” Jaehwan returned, raising both eyebrows.

“Umm, I tried the strawberry and vanilla mixture last evening,” Taekwoon recalled, reminiscing about Sunggyu hyung installing the machine and treating all the part-timers to free ice cream. “I...enjoyed it. It’s good.”

“Then I’ll have what hyung had,” Jaehwan piped up. "You didn't say what you thought of my hair yet!"

"It-you look nice. It looks soft," Taekwoon replied lamely, sparing Jaehwan a glance just as Myungsoo slid over the order of the next customer.

"Whoops, I'll stop hogging your time so you can work," Jaehwan laughed, waving at the toddler accompanying the next customer and giving Taekwoon another bright grin before marching over to chat with Wendy at the takeout counter. As he worked, Taekwoon caught snatches of their conversation about some sitcom where the lead was a multibillionaire shapeshifter.

 _He’s so odd_ , Taekwoon mused, as he carefully wrapped a tissue around Jaehwan’s cone,  before putting it on a tray and sliding it to Wendy. _But why am I so fascinated?_

Unfortunately, Taekwoon didn’t have an answer to that.

Fortunately, the next customer walked up with her excited toddler, clamouring for ice cream, and that certainly distracted him. Cracking a gummy smile, Taekwoon reached forward to pat the toddler’s head and coo, unknowing of Jaehwan’s eyes following his every move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd love to know what you think ^_^


	6. Undertow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hello, I’m Jaehwan,” Jaehwan introduced himself. “Lee Jaehwan. I’m-”
> 
> “You’re our Taekwoon’s new friend, right?” Woohyun asked.
> 
> “I don’t know if hyung considers us friends,” Jaehwan chuckled self-consciously.
> 
> “Nonsense, he mentioned you to me, so you must be important. Am I right, jagi?” Woohyun addressed his boyfriend.

“Taekwoon!”

No reply.

“Taekwo~on!”

Taekwoon ignored the voice calling his name and continued stretching out his left leg.

“Yah! Jung Taekwoon!” Hakyeon finally poked his side, miffed at being ignored.

“What?” Taekwoon snapped, fixing a glare at his best friend, which only made Hakyeon roll his eyes.

“I need a date outfit. Come over to my place later,” Hakyeon singsonged.

“I’m working today,” Taekwoon replied, leaving out the part about how he had no interest in listening to Hakyeon blab about his date while spending an hour going through every outfit combination in his wardrobe. _Why waste words when Hakyeon already knew his sentiments about his pre-date-outfit-selection-parades_?

“I know,” Hakyeon nodded. “But come over afterwards.” He looked around them to ensure no one was eavesdropping, before lowering his voice. “I know your noona is coming for dinner, and that can't be fun. So, stay over tonight.”

Taekwoon was sorely tempted to say yes, but he knew he should face his problems head on, and so he shook his head, hating the pitying look on Hakyeon’s face.

“Wear your black ripped jeans with the red flannel shirt,” Taekwoon suggested instead. “And leave me alone now, I still have a couple more stretches to run through.”

“I have dance in half an hour. Maybe I should go stretch with Jongin then,” Hakyeon smirked, staring past the fence at where Jongin’s fangirls (and boys) were gathered.

“Don’t tease him too much,” Taekwoon warned, lifting his left knee and rotating his ankle. “If Yixing tries to punch you, I won’t stop him.”

“If Yixing comes to punch me, at least it’ll mean that he and Jongin will stop with their sad reenactment of 13 going on 30,” Hakyeon commented in an undertone, making Taekwoon snort. “Those two need to stop being oblivious, and start making out.”

“By the way,” Hakyeon continued, fixing his bangs. “Jimin told me Jin told him that Jaehwan said the café got an ice cream machine. Why didn’t _you_ tell me?”

“You’ve been busy with your dance stuff,” Taekwoon supplied, giving up on stretching completely, and sitting cross-legged, facing Hakyeon.

"That's no excuse! We've been texting every day for the past 4 years!" Hakyeon exclaimed.

"You mean, you've been texting every day at me for the past 4 years!" Taekwoon snarked. Hakyeon was a religious texter, whereas Taekwoon....occasionally replied.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Hakyeon pouted dramatically, completely ignoring Taekwoon's words. “Is this what our friendship has come to?”

“Fine,” Taekwoon sighed, knowing where this was going. “You can have your first scoop free.”

“First three scoops,” Hakyeon announced, wrapping his arm around Taekwoon’s shoulder, bodily cutting off Taekwoon’s protests. “After the regional festival next weekend. Promise?”

“Promise,” Taekwoon acquiesced, realizing this would be the best deal he'd get if he didn't want to negotiate, and he really did not. Hakyeon squealed and hugged him tighter, and Taekwoon shoved Hakyeon off - gently but firmly - and stood up just as Yixing clapped his hands to gather everyone for the drills.

Taekwoon shook his shoulders loose and joined the huddle, ready to take his mind off the impending family dinner.

  
  
  
  


In the end, Taekwoon didn’t even last through the main course before he excused himself from dinner and left the house.

He only bothered taking his favourite jacket before heading out to cool off.

It’s not that he doesn’t like Sooyeon noona. He does. She’s pretty chill and always sneaks him snacks when she drops by for a visit.

But she’s also studying in the country’s most prestigious medical school, while juggling a career as a fashion model. And Taekwoon’s parents could never stop comparing the two of them and chiding Taekwoon for being lazy and incompetent, and there’s only so much of that he can take, when he knows he's trying the best he can.

Never one to create a scene, Taekwoon had made himself scarce, and decided to take a walk through the town to get rid of his foul mood.

Sighing, Taekwoon takes out his cellphone from his pocket and proceeds to text Woohyun hyung that he’ll be sleeping over. He then spends the next ten minutes fielding off his hyung’s concerns and offers for a ride.

So immersed is Taekwoon in texting that he doesn’t quite see where he’s walking, and so he is justifiably startled when someone shouts his name.

“Taekwoon hyung!” the voice shouted again, drawing closer and now Taekwoon can see that it is Jaehwan who is speedwalking his bike towards him. “Hi!”

“Hey,” Taekwoon said, shoving his hands - and phone - back into his pocket. “What are you doing out so late?”

“I told you about Jinnie, right? My best friend?” Jaehwan asked conversationally, catching up and now keeping pace with Taekwoon. When Taekwoon nodded, he continued, “He needed help prepping for our Calculus mid. So, I volunteered. Mostly for the chance to eat his mom’s pot roast, but he doesn’t need to know that.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” Taekwoon huffed out a laugh.

“What about you? Why are you out? Heading to a party?” Jaehwan asked, nudging him with his shoulder.

“Dressed like this?” Taekwoon asked, gesturing to his t-shirt and jeans combo.

“Well, you’re wearing a leather jacket,” Jaehwan pointed out. “And what do I know about what people wear to parties?”

“You’ve don't go to parties?” Taekwoon asked incredulously, stopping in his track. Reclusive as he was, even Taekwoon made cameos at the occasional party.

“Hyung,” Jaehwan whined, also coming to a standstill. “I’m a mathlete and choir kid, why would I get invited to parties? And before you say the other kids here do party, I’ve not even been here a semester, so I’m not really part of any scene.”

“But you’re friends with Baekhyun,” Taekwoon rebutted. “I’m surprised he doesn’t drag you to parties. Even Kyungsoo gets blackmailed into going.”

“I happened to catch a glimpse of how Baekhyun persuades Kyungsoo into going to parties,” Jaehwan wrinkled his nose, shuddering. “Trust me you don’t wanna know.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Taekwoon laughed, feeling lighter already. Seeing the neon sign of a familiar store flashing ahead, he quirked a smile. “You said you had dinner, but did you have desserts?”

 

 

 

 

 

And that’s how they end up in book-themed cafe, sitting side by side on the floor and drawing on recycled paper while eating pie.

Taekwoon had opted for a healthy all-berries sugar-less pie, but Jaehwan had chosen a fruit-and-cream-filled-chocolate-crusted bonanza which Taekwoon had been eyeing warily for the past 15 minutes.

“What is that even supposed to be?” Jaehwan asked, licking his fork clean and pointing at where Taekwoon was drawing...something.

“A cat, obviously,” Taekwoon scoffed, drawing crooked whiskers on the... _cat_.

“Right,” Jaehwan drawled, returning back to his sketch of the view outside the cafe’s floor length window. For a while, the only sound around them was that of munching and pencils shading across paper. It was quiet, but comfortable.

“That’s pretty. You could make a living from this,” Taekwoon said after sometime, leaning over Jaehwan to study his sketch.

“Do you mind?” he asked, pressing lightly against Jaehwan's side.

“Nah,” Jaehwan laughed, finding it hard to concentrate with the warm weight of Taekwoon’s body pressed to his left side. “Also, I draw for fun. I don’t want to do this professionally, and lose my love for it.”

Taekwoon hummed, leaning in a bit more to sniff at the sweet scent of Jaehwan’s shampoo. He watched with fascination as a blush coloured the elfin tips of Jaehwan's ears.

“What do you want to do professionally?” Taekwoon asked distractedly.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Jaehwan asked, turning around and presenting his pinky to Taekwoon.

“Promise,” Taekwoon replied, lazily curling his right pinky around Jaehwan’s left.

“I want to be a vet,” Jaehwan whispered, eyes shining bright. “I love animals, especially dogs, and I want to take care of them. But I suck at biology and chemistry, so I don’t know if I can.”

“That’s a good dream to have though. I hope you can achieve it someday,” Taekwoon smiled, his eyes going soft around the edges when Jaehwan fixed him with a lovely grin.

“Thanks, hyung,” Jaehwan said softly. “It’s funny, you know. I’ve never even told Mom this. But I’m telling you.”

“You can trust me,” Taekwoon replied sincerely, tugging at Jaehwan’s pinky lightly. “I take pinky promises very seriously.”

“I’m glad,” Jaehwan smiled, exchanging the green colour pencil in his hand for the silver.

He looked so soft that Taekwoon couldn't help but lean in to rub his fingers lightly against Jaehwan's nape. Jaehwan burst into giggles, raising his shoulders up to his neck, and asked Taekwoon to stop tickling him. 

Armed with this new knowledge, Taekwoon renewed his efforts to make Jaehwan giggle, trapping him with his body before trailing fingers down Jaehwan's neck and ribs till he was on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Stop," Jaehwan giggled, ineffectually trying to push Taekwoon off. Taekwoon finally relented and gave him some space, completely unaware of the broad, blinding smile gracing his own face.

“Now, finish your... _cat_ , so we can get some more pie,” Jaehwan said, once he had recovered.

“Yessir,” Taekwoon mock-saluted, going back to sit beside a now wary Jaehwan, but shifting a little closer anyway.

"I'm sorry," Taekwoon said a bit later, colouring his cat's paws a brilliant purple. "I should have asked first if you were comfortable with me touching you."

Jaehwan blushed a brilliant scarlet before spewing out words, "I don't mind. Not-not if it's you. And you asked before. So it's okay."

"Okay," Taekwoon nodded, inching a bit closer again.

Wordlessly, they went back to their own drawings, chatting every now and then, pinkies coming together and remaining loosely intertwined.

  
  
  
  


The next morning finds Jaehwan at the cafe at 11, nursing a sugary frappe while discussing his hatred for AP Biology with Sunggyu hyung.

Suddenly, the door bangs open and in walks a man wearing a blue gingham shirt that Jaehwan could have sworn Sunggyu hyung was wearing last week.

“Gyu!,” the new man greeted, bounding up to the counter and standing on his tippy toes to capture Sunggyu hyung by the neck and pull him into a kiss. “Did you miss me?”

“I always miss you, Woohyunie,” Sunggyu smiled charmingly, reaching his hand across the counter to hold his boyfriend. “What are you doing here?”

“Made some fried rice, came to drop it by,” Woohyun singsonged, rummaging in his backpack. “Oh, who’s this?” he asked, noticing Jaehwan staring at them owlishly.

“Hello, I’m Jaehwan,” Jaehwan introduced himself, wiping his hand on his joggers before extending it to the older man. “Lee Jaehwan. I’m-”

“You’re our Taekwoon’s new friend, right?” Woohyun interrupted, finally handing over a lunchbox for his boyfriend.

“I don’t know if hyung considers us friends,” Jaehwan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously.

“Nonsense, he mentioned you to me, so you must be important. Am I right, jagi?” Woohyun addressed his boyfriend.

“Babe,” Sunggyu drawled, fixing him with a meaningful look, making Woohyun mimic zipping up his mouth. “Where’s the kid, though? Wasn’t he crashing at your flat last night?”

Woohyun nodded, venturing a little further to fix the feedback cards on the cash counter.

Sunggyu mirrored his steps from the other side of the counter. _Jaehwan thought they were being ridiculously adorable. If Binnie was here, Sunggyu hyung and his boyfriend would surely be subjected to grimaces and cringes!_

“We were supposed to have breakfast and drop by together,” Woohyun explained, voice bringing Jaehwan back to the present. “But Taek was really hyped in the morning, so I asked him what’s up. And he said he wants to try playing piano again. So he's gone to check out his old facility.”

Sunggyu sucked in a breath, and Jaehwan returned his gaze to his drink, silently eavesdropping on their conversation. _Taekwoon hyung played piano?_

“For real?” Sunggyu asked finally, sounding...off. _Almost like he was barely daring to hope._

Woohyun hummed soothingly. “I don’t know what happened, but you know what his family is like,” he sighed, shaking his head. “They had a dinner last night, and he ran out. And sometime between texting me and showing up at my place, he decided he was going to spend time doing things he likes, and not just things he’s expected to do.”

“Babe, that’s wonderful!” Sunggyu smiled broadly, reaching out to hold Woohyun’s hands again. “I wonder what changed?”

When the duo turned as one to look at Jaehwan, Jaehwan pretended to be concentrating on his Instagram feed, hopelessly willing his ears to not turn red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd love to know what you think~
> 
> P.S Sooyeon here is Jung Sooyeon aka Ms Jessica Jung aka the closest Jung I could find :p


	7. Everlong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jaehwan?” Taekwoon asked in a small voice. “Do you think….?”
> 
> “Yes, hyung?” 
> 
> “Do you think you could sing me a song?” Taekwoon requested, and Jaehwan almost choked on his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is the title referencing [this gem of a song?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMgHB-1_Fo) Why yes it is! Hope you enjoy this update~

School closes for a week-long break following midterms, and his uncle's family treat Jaehwan to a vacation in a nearby beach town.

For five blissful days, Hongbin and he play-wrestle on the beach, collect sea shells, and spend hours alternating between swimming in the shallows and sunbathing, entertaining themselves while Hongbin’s parents roam the beach markets.

On Saturday, they stop by their grandma’s place, and she cooks a feast to feed her two grandsons, and they go to bed, happy and sated.

For one week, Jaehwan and Hongbin honour Hongbin’s mom’s request and leave their phones at home, so imagine Jaehwan’s surprise when he turns on his phone on Monday morning and his phone starts to blow up with texts.

“What the…?” he trailed off, looking at the rapid number of incoming texts from Jinnie, their Mathlete squad, the theatre club, and even the groupchat he was a part of along with Jin, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Junghwan and Kyungsoo.

“Oh, hyung?” Hongbin blinked, having already caught up on his facebook feed. He added very few people and opted to remain reclusive, so his news scanning was way faster. “Taekwoon sunbae had an accident.”

“What?” Jaehwan asked, grabbing Hongbin’s phone to find a post from Kim Wonshik - Hongbin’s close friend and occasional guest at their dinner table - lamenting how Jung Taekwoon had gotten into an accident three days ago while pushing someone else away from a speeding bike, and ended up in the hospital with a fractured arm and sprained ankle, minimizing their sports team’s chances of winning to negative 10%.

“Probability cannot be negative,” is the only thing a shell shocked Jaehwan can say as he handed back Hongbin’s phone, and ran fingers through his hair.

“What are you gonna do?” Hongbin asked, studying his cousin carefully.

“What do you mean?” Jaehwan asked, still sounding a little shocked.

“Well, you’re friends, right? Sort of? Shouldn’t you call him or something?” Hongbin asked, now filling both his and Jaehwan's water bottle at the sink. He was nice like that sometimes.

“I should,” Jaehwan acquiesced, thankful that Taekwoon and he had exchanged number after the evening they spent in the book cafe.

_._

_._

_._

_“Do you want me to walk you home?” Taekwoon had asked when they’d finally gotten out of the cafe, at the brink of midnight._

_“I won’t get lost,” Jaehwan had laughed, playing with the handle bar of his bicycle. “And even if I do, I can use GPS. Don’t worry.”_

_“Then let me know when you get home safe?” Taekwoon had insisted. “Here, give me your phone, I’ll add my number.”_

_And that is how Jaehwan had ended up securing Taekwoon's number._

.

.

.

“I will, later tonight,” Jaehwan decided, coming back to the present and following Hongbin out of the kitchen, quickly opening up his chat with Jin.

  
  
  


It is almost 9pm when Jaehwan is done with his English homework.

He takes off his glasses, flops down on his bed, and unplugs his phone from the charger to swipe through his social media.

Baekhyun and Jongdae - predictably - are having a meaningless fight in the groupchat, so Jaehwan decides to egg them on, earning an eye-roll gif from Kyungsoo. He's quick to send a kissy face emoji to Kyungsoo, which momentarily distracts Baekhyun into telling Jaehwan to stay away from his man before going back to fighting with Jongdae.

Still smiling, Jaehwan opens his contact list and clicks on Taekwoon hyung’s number, hesitating just a second before dialing.

Taekwoon picked up after a few seconds, sleep mussing his voice as he inquired, “Jaehwan?”

“Hi, hyung,” Jaehwan breathed, clutching the phone tightly. “It’s me. How are you?”

“Not the best,” Taekwoon replied curtly, lapsing into silence. And for once the quiet felt stifling, so Jaehwan started to ramble.

“I heard-I found out today,” Jaehwan started slowly, trying to break through the awkwardness he could feel settling around them. “About your accident. I was away. On vacation. Phone switched off. Otherwise, I would have called earlier. Really.”

“Oh,” Taekwoon said, shifting around his bed. Jaehwan anxiously waited for him to say something, picking at his cuticles absentmindedly.

“Did you have fun?” Taekwoon inquired after a bit.

“I did. A lot, but I don’t wanna bore you with the details,” Jaehwan shrugged, biting his lip.

“Tell me. I do want to know,” Taekwoon said, sounding more like himself. “Tell me everything.”

Jaehwan sighs in relief before launching into the narration of his escapades, and Taekwoon hums at intervals, encouraging him to keep talking.

“And we came home late last night, and I crashed face first on my bed. I could have suffocated to death, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I was sooo tired!” Jaehwan exclaimed, before remembering something. “Oh hyungie, do you like sea glass? I found these really pretty violet and orange ones, and I wanted to give some to you.”

“I’d like that,” Taekwoon smiled into the phone, before lapsing into silence again.

Jaehwan did not interrupt him this time, because it felt like Taekwoon was looking for words to say. _How he had gotten so attuned to Taekwoon’s words and silences, Jaehwan couldn’t even begin to decipher._

“Jaehwan?” Taekwoon said finally, speaking in a small voice. “Do you think….?”

“Yes, hyung?” Jaehwan prompted, unconsciously sitting up straighter.

“Do you think you could sing me a song?” Taekwoon requested, and Jaehwan could almost imagine the red staining the top of his ears.

Or, Jaehwan would, if he wasn’t busy choking on his breath.

He nodded his head quickly before belatedly realizing Taekwoon wouldn’t be able to see that.

“Of course, hyung. Do you have any requests?” he asked then, subtly clearing his throat under his breath.

“Sing me one of your favourite songs,” Taekwoon replied, sighing contentedly as he burrowed into his blankets.

Jaehwan pondered for a moment, mind racing over a hundred songs he loved, and a dozen more that made his voice sound pretty, before finally settling on one. He smiled before launching into a rendition of Lost Stars, and was not at all surprised to find Taekwoon had fallen asleep by the time he finished singing.

 

 

 

 

 

The next night, Jaehwan called Taekwoon again, armed with all the relevant gossip from school, and rearing to sing another song. They talk, they laugh, they share secrets into the dead of the night, and once more, Taekwoon falls asleep to his voice.

This continues for a couple more nights, till Jaehwan remembers the conversation Sunggyu hyung and his boyfriend had been having in the cafe.

“Hyungie,” he whined into the phone suddenly, interrupting Taekwoon's critique of his hospital food and making him chuckle.

“What now?” Taekwoon asked, sounding terribly amused.

“Will you sing me a song tonight?” Jaehwan requested, sure that the pout in his voice could be heard over the phone.

“Jaehwan, I’m not good at singing like you,” Taekwoon replied, and Jaehwan could hear the self-consciousness seeping into his voice.

“But I want to hear you sing,” Jaehwan implored, filling his voice with as much aegyo as he possibly could muster. “Please?” _Taekwoon hyung might act all tough and aloof, but Jaehwan had very quickly realized that he was a sucker for cuteness. And cute was something Jaehwan could effortlessly be._

There was silence on the other end of the line before Taekwoon huffed. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you I’m not good.”

“I have it on good authority you’re a wonderful bathroom singer,” Jaehwan insisted loyally, nodding unnecessarily.

“Has Cha Hakyeon been spreading rumours about me again?” Taekwoon asked scathingly.

“It was Yixing hyung actually. He told Jongdae, who told Baekhyun, who told me,” Jaehwan replied primly. “But enough stalling, time to sing!”

Taekwoon sighed once more before humming a bar.

He started singing Talking to the Moon, somewhat shakily, voice gaining strength by the end of the first verse. Despite having no training, Taekwoon was a decent enough singer, able to hold his tune.

But he still wasn’t prepared for Jaehwan to start harmonizing with him from the chorus onwards.

Jaehwan closed his eyes and continued to sing, molding his voice around Taekwoon’s.

He was so lost in the beauty of their impromptu harmony that he didn’t notice his door peeking open and Hongbin and Wonshik poking their heads in. The duo listened to an entire verse in awestruck silence before walking out, softly closing the door behind them.

By the time the song ended, there was only silence...

Taekwoon didn’t say anything, and for once, Jaehwan was snatched of his words.

Jaehwan tried to articulate the thoughts on his head, but he couldn’t, not over the racing of his heart. So he remained quiet.

It was Taekwoon who broke the silence finally.

“You should sleep, Jaehwanie,” Taekwoon wished, in the gentlest of whispers.

“You too. Sleep well, hyung,” Jaehwan said softly, feeling oddly shaken. “I-I just...thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Taekwoon said just as softly, letting out a little yawn before cutting the line.

_And although Jaehwan turns off the lights right after getting off the phone, it is a long while before sleep overcomes him, mind busy replaying their duet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end. Only 2 more chapters (and the epilogue) to go!! 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading ^_^ Let me know your thoughts!


	8. Falling Slowly, and I can't go back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Those macaroons are mine,” Jaehwan insisted.
> 
> “But they’re in my bag,” Taekwoon pointed out.
> 
> “Let’s trade, then.” Jaehwan replied. “What do you want in exchange for the macaroons?”
> 
> Taekwoon hummed, eyes vacillating between Jaehwan’s eyes and lips a few times before he shook his head and quirked a secretive smile.

On Thursday, when Sunggyu hyung announces to the cafe that he’ll go visit Taekwoon the next afternoon, Jaehwan volunteers to tag along. The next day, he shows up right after school, and watches as Sunggyu hyung painstakingly instructs Myungsoo and Sungyeol about their shared duties while he’s out.

As the cafe owner quizzes the duo to test their retention of his instructions, Jaehwan quickly makes a flower bouquet out of spare tissues and straws, sitting at the counter.

And then Jaehwan follows Sunggyu hyung out, giggling at the cafe owner praying for his cafe’s safety under his breath.

As they make their way down the hospital corridor, Jaehwan conceals the bouquet of flowers behind his back, hiding behind Sunggyu hyung’s figure as he walks into a cabin.

“Daeguni, look what I brought you,” Sunggyu hyung greeted, walking into the hospital room and disrupting Taekwoon’s scoffing at some game unfolding on the TV.

“Hey hyung,” Taekwoon gave a quick wave of fingers, eyes still fixed on the TV. “Did you get me an Americano?”

“Even better,” Sunggyu piped up, stepping forward, to place the box full of sugar-free snacks at Taekwoon’s bedside table. “Look who’s here!” he said, shifting out of Taekwoon’s line of sight and revealing Jaehwan standing at the door.

“Jaehwanie?” Taekwoon asked, eyebrows lifting in surprise. He quickly switched off the TV and attempted to sit up.

Jaehwan beamed, stepping inside the room and beelining for his hyung. “I didn’t know if you’re allergic to any flowers, so I made you some,” he said, thrusting the makeshift bouquet at Taekwoon.

“Thank you!” Taekwoon smiled, inhaling the pink, red and white tissues. “It smells like-”

“The air freshener at the cafe? Yeah!” Jaehwan chuckled, glad that he had sprayed the bouquet with the familiar lemon-scented disinfectant.

"It's my favourite," Taekwoon murmured, sharing a look with Jaehwan.

Sunggyu cleared his throat suddenly, demanding both their attention. “Taek, I got you some snacks, and Woohyunie said he’d come by later, with more food,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “But I need to leave soon. Myungsoo and Sungyeol are in the cafe alone and-”

“You’re nervous they’ll burn down your life’s work,” Taekwoon completed, nodding his head. “I understand hyung. Thanks for dropping by anyway.”

“I wanted to ask you something else,” Sunggyu replied, looking pointedly at Jaehwan.

“I’m going to raid the vending machine,” Jaehwan announced, taking the hint. “Want something?”

“No, Jaehwan. Stay,” Taekwoon shook his head, reaching out for Jaehwan's hand. Immediately Jaehwan clasped their hands together, and Taekwoon squared his jaw, turning to face Sunggyu hyung. “And no, hyung. My parents haven’t been in to see me, after the first day. They’ll come sometime in the weekend though, I’m sure. Sooyeon noona promised to.”

“Taek,” Sunggyu sighed unhappily, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

“It’s alright,” Taekwoon replied with a small, humourless smile. “I’m used to it. And between you, Woohyun hyung, Hakyeonie and and now Jaehwan, I have more than enough company to keep me entertained. You should head back before the cafe burns to a crisp.”

Sunggyu opted to grumble under his breath, fluttering around Taekwoon’s bed and fixing his blankets till Taekwoon rolled his eyes and asked him to just go.

After sparing Taekwoon one last look full of concern, Sunggyu took his leave, insisting Taekwoon to call him even if he feels bored. Taekwoon waved goodbye before turning to face Jaehwan, who’s been watching their entire interaction with an unreadable expression.

“Hey,” Taekwoon said softly, squeezing his hand and claiming Jaehwan’s attention. “Come sit by me,” he pointed at the chair beside his bed.

Jaehwan sprung into motion, dragging the chair closer to Taekwoon’s bed before folding himself into the chair. “Hi, hyung,” Jaehwan smiled fondly, rummaging in his bag. “I brought your sea glass.”

Taekwoon takes the rocks and spends a few minutes playing with them in silence.

“Don’t have work today?” he finally asked, not looking up even though he can feel Jaehwan stealing long glances at him.

“Nope,” Jaehwan replied, fingers fidgeting in his lap. “No club activities either. Well, not before 8."

"How are you _really_ , hyung?” he asked after a pause.

“Upset, mostly.” Taekwoon pouted slightly. “To injure myself so close to the new season. Bored, because there’s only so much TV I can watch. And hungry. But I shouldn’t eat too much, I still need to watch my weight.”

“Gyu hyung packed you the non-sugar, healthy food,” Jaehwan grimaced, pointing at Taekwoon's bedside table. “Those macaroons are mine, though.”

“But they’re in my bag,” Taekwoon pointed out, bringing the bag to his lap and rolling his eyes at Jaehwan's grabby hands.

“Let’s trade, then.” Jaehwan replied. “What do you want in exchange for the macaroons?”

Taekwoon hummed, eyes vacillating between Jaehwan’s eyes and lips a few times before he shook his head and quirked a secretive smile.

“How about you read to me?” he finally asked, pointing at the _Diary of Mata Hari_ Woohyun hyung had left behind when he’d last come to visit.

“Silly hyung,” Jaehwan chuckled, stealing a macaroon right away. “I was gonna do that anyway.”

  
  
  
  


Sometime later that evening, Hakyeon tiptoes into the room and stops dead in his track when he finds Taekwoon napping - as usual - and Jaehwan sitting by his side, reading a book.

“Hey,” Hakyeon greeted, mouth curving into a warm smile.

“Hey hyung,” Jaehwan smiled back sweetly, before his eyes fell on the digital clock over the door.

“Ohmygod it’s 8 already!” Jaehwan exclaimed, standing up and hastily shoving the box of macaroons Taekwoon had relinquished into his bag. “I need to go, like now, or Baekhyun will kill me. Can you tell Taekwoon hyung that I had to rush out?” When Hakyeon nodded, Jaehwan ran up to give him a quick hug before racing out the door. “Thanks hyung, you’re the best!”

Hakyeon chuckled, before closing the door behind Jaehwan and sauntering over to the chair basically pressed to the side of Taekwoon’s bed.

  
  
  
  


Taekwoon woke up sometime later to find Jaehwan gone, and Hakyeon beside him, watching a DIY show on the TV.

“Jaehwan left an hour ago,” Hakyeon explained, watching him stretch awake. “I didn't know you two were so close.”

“We are,” Taekwoon said curtly, already knowing where this was going, _and futilely trying to prevent it_.

“And I hear you’re playing piano too,” Hakyeon commented lightly.

“I am.”

Hakyeon turned off the TV before turning to face his best friend with an impish smile. “I told you you’d like him.”

Taekwoon groaned when Hakyeon immediately insisted that Taekwoon tell him everything, sparing no details, and Taekwoon could only delay the inevitable for so long.

  
  
  
  


The next night when Jaehwan returns home from visiting Taekwoon, he walks into his room to find Jin lounging on his bed, editing some photos on his phone.

“So I dropped by your pet store,” Jin started casually. “And you weren’t there. And before you tell me you were at the cafe, I have it on good authority you haven’t been there to chill for like two weeks.”

“I was visiting Taekwoon hyung,” Jaehwan clarified, sitting down at his desk. “At the hospital.”

“He specifically asked the sports squad to not visit,” Jin raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you two were... _closer_.”

Jaehwan hums softly, picking at the dead skin around his fingernails.

“Jinnie, remember when you said that I might, that I might…” Jaehwan trailed off, gathering his courage to speak aloud the realization he’d had the night he’d sung the duet with Taekwoon hyung. “Jinnie, I think….I think I like hyung. Like, romantically. Like, he's so wonderful, and every time we talk, I just become more and more fond of him, if that makes sense. What will I do?” Jaehwan asked unhappily, half talking to his best friend and half immersed in having an internal breakdown.

“Man up and tell him, of course,” Jin shrugged nonchalantly, like it was _that easy_.

“Like you manned up and asked out a certain mutual friend of ours?” Jaehwan asked, narrowing his eyes at his best friend and planting his hands on his hips.

“It’s a...work in progress,” Jin stuttered, flushing suddenly. “He barely knows I exist, and Taekwoon hyung and you are good friends already! Why are you scared?”

“What if hyung murders me?” Jaehwan asked, banging his head on the headrest of his chair.

“Weren’t you trying to convince me earlier this week that Taekwoon sunbae is secretly a fluffball?” Jin arched an eyebrow.

“He is! He is nice, and kind, and so wonderful!” Jaehwan insisted, thinking of his interactions with Taekwoon over the past months, and how indulgently he smiled at every one of Jaehwan’s bad jokes. “Jinger, I’m scared he’ll reject me, and I’ll end up losing a close friend,” Jaehwan finally confessed, the corner of his mouth turning down.

“Oh Hwanie,” Jin cooed softly as he made his way over to his friend and enveloped him into a hug. “You will never know until you try.”

Jaehwan only hummed, cuddling closer and taking comfort from Jinnie's warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go. How would it resolve, do you think?  
> Let me know your thoughts!


	9. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have to tell you something,” Jaehwan said, not looking up from his drawing.
> 
> “So tell me,” Taekwoon replied, as if it were that simple.
> 
> “You have to promise not to hate me or end our friendship,” Jaehwan stressed, squeezing his pencil a little too tightly.
> 
> Taekwoon spent a good time looking at Jaehwan before nodding. 
> 
> “Now come here.” Taekwoon patted the seat beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a few little things to the previous chapters - nothing major - so be sure to read through again, if you want! (And please let me know if you spot any typos~)

Jaehwan spends the rest of his visits to Taekwoon’s hospital room trying - and failing - to work up the courage to confess. 

In their shared time, they finish reading through Mata Hari, and Hamlet, and even Jekyll and Hyde. And they befriend each other on Facebook - which Taekwoon had only recently installed - to share cute photos of baby animals. 

The more time they spend together the more infatuated Jaehwan becomes with Taekwoon, and the more difficult he finds it to confess. It's not that Taekwoon hyung is intimidating, _he isn't not anymore_ , but he's become a good friend and Jaehwan doesn't want to lose that.

He likes Taekwoon’s sharp wit, and the timbre of his voice when Jaehwan coaxes him to sing. He likes how Taekwoon always saves desserts from his meals for Jaehwan, and how open he becomes to sharing personal details and his quiet hopes and dreams. Jaehwan remains ecstatic until Yixing hyung drops by one day and comments that it is nice to see Taekwoon surrounding him with good friends like Jaehwan.

_ And they are good friends, no doubt. But could they be more? _

Jaehwan ponders this as he strolls from choir practice to the library one afternoon, a week after Taekwoon gets discharged and returns to school, sling still hanging around his neck.

Though he doesn't have the excuse to hang out with Taekwoon hyung anymore, Jaehwan continues to text him every day, and Taekwoon also texts him back.

Jaehwan comes to a standstill in the field area, seeing the familiar figure of Taekwoon prowling near where his team is practicing. Jaehwan immediately changes tracks, beelining for his hyung.

“Should you be putting this much stress on your ankle?” he asked Taekwoon, poking his cheek. To his surprise, Taekwoon turned around and tried to bite his finger.

“No,” Taekwoon huffed, brushing hair away from his face. “But I feel useless staying away." 

“You are not helping anyone by glaring here,” Jaehwan replied, hip-checking Taekwoon. 

"Sunggyu hyung refuses to let me work before next week, and I have nothing better to do,” Taekwoon confessed, poking at the grass with his shoes. 

“Come on grumpy," Jaehwan nudged, tugging at Taekwoon's backpack. "Walk me to the library and spend some time with me.”

Taekwoon acquiesced without any protest, following Jaehwan out of the field. From the corner of his eyes he caught Jongin’s fans appearing from goodness-knows-where to surround the field like a pack of hyenas, and he couldn't help but shake his head. 

 

 

 

 

 

“What are you here to study?” Taekwoon whispered, once they’re inside the library and seated across each other in a corner on the second floor.

“Oh, I’m not here to study,” Jaehwan shrugged, taking out a sketchbook. “Binnie is tutoring this kid Hyukkie nearby, and he’ll have to stay back till 6. I’ll just sit here and draw till then. You can catch up on your homework, if you like.”  

“I don’t mind watching you draw,” Taekwoon smiled, grin widening when Jaehwan generously tore off a page and pushed it towards him, to practice his questionable artwork. 

"Since when does your cousin tutor?" Taekwoon asked.

"Since today, actually," Jaehwan snorted, rummaging around his pencil bag. "i had to give him a pep talk and everything not to run away. He's so awkward around people!"

"Hopefully it will work out?" Taekwoon said, tilting his head as he watched Jaehwan tinker with his pencils.

"Do you want a pencil? Pen?" Jaehwan asked, offering both to Taekwoon.

“I think I’ll spare you from my masterpieces today,” Taekwoon quipped, taking the pen. “I will however work on a melody I’ve been composing for the past 2 days.”

“That’s great,” Jaehwan beamed, sharpening his pencil. “You’ll let me hear when you’re happy with it, right?” he asked, presenting his pinky to Taekwoon.

“When I’m happy with it,” Taekwoon allowed, entwining their pinkies together and mind easily conjuring up the barrage of encouraging texts he’d received when he’d shared his first composition with Jaehwan. It had been very motivating to hear Jaehwan (and also Hakyeon) praise his music.

They lapsed into silence and Jaehwan worked on drawing Chopper for a while before deciding to speak up. 

“I have to tell you something,” he said, not looking up from where he was shading Chopper’s eyes.

“So tell me,” Taekwoon replied, crossing out a few notes on his paper.  _ As if it were that simple _ .

“You have to promise not to hate me or end our friendship,” Jaehwan stressed, squeezing his pencil a little too tightly.

Taekwoon abandoned his scribbling to lean back in his chair. 

“Did you take over my job at the cafe?” 

Jaehwan shook his head. 

“Commision the motorcycle guy to run over me?” 

Jaehwan shook his head some more, making his hair bounce lightly. 

“Did you murder my childhood cat who I thought ran away?” 

“I don’t think so,” Jaehwan let out a giggle despite himself, at Taekwoon’s absurd line of interrogation.

“Then I won’t hate you,” Taekwoon concluded, nodding for emphasis.

“Promise me,” Jaehwan insisted, finally looking up at Taekwoon with worried eyes.

Taekwoon spent a good time looking over Jaehwan's every feature before nodding. “I promise,” he finally said softly, extending his pinky towards Jaehwan, which he took shakily. 

“Now come here.” Taekwoon patted the seat beside him.

“I’m fine here,” Jaehwan shook his head.

“I’m not fine with you sitting there. Come here.” Taekwoon repeated, wording it more like a demand than a request.

_ And who was Jaehwan to deny his hyung? _

Abandoning his sketchbook, Jaehwan trudged over to the other side of the table and plopped down beside Taekwoon, who greeted him with a sweet smile.

“Hey, Jaehwanie?” Taekwoon said, lowering his voice and bumping their shoulders together. “Me too.”

“What?” Jaehwan asked, tilting his head and fixing confused puppy eyes on his hyung.

“I like you too,” Taekwoon clarified, chuckling when Jaehwan’s eyes bugged out and he reeled backwards. 

“You do?” Jaehwan asked, dimly aware that his face was doing its best impersonation of a spasming tomato. 

Taekwoon nodded indulgently before shrugging. “How can I not?”

“But, how did you know?” Jaehwan asked, daring to inch closer towards Taekwoon.

“Yesterday," Taekwoon supplied with a gummy smile. "You were telling Jin you were going to confess soon while standing near Hakyeon. You had to know he’d be texting me the minute you left his eyesight,” Taekwoon teased, slinging his good arm around Jaehwan’s shoulder, to capture him in a half-hug.

Jaehwan groaned, burying his head on the table. “I’m so embarrassed right now.” 

Taekwoon only laughed, leaning down to fondly nuzzle against Jaehwan’s shoulder. 

Jaehwan burrowed closer, rounding a trembling hand around Taekwoon’s waist, heart almost stuttering to a stop when Taekwoon kissed the crown of his head. 

  
  
  
  
  


“And now you’re dating the jock of the century?” Jin asked in a whisper, when Jaehwan summoned him to his house for an emergency debrief.

“We’re not dating,” Jaehwan replied, hands busy squishing his flaming cheeks. “But we’re going to go on a date. Soon.”

“I’m so happy for you, Hwanibal,” Jin punched his shoulder softly. 

“You can’t tell anyone,” Jaehwan shushed him. “We’re keeping it on the DL, so I’m just telling you and Bean, and hyung’s just telling Hakyeon hyung. So keep it to yourself, okay?”

“I will,” Jin ruffled Jaehwan’s hair, which in his opinion was overdue for a dye job. “Now tell me, have you guys kissed?”

Jaehwan squawked, flinching away from Jin, insisting that  _ it was not like that _ , only for Jin to rebut with  _ not yet _ . 

  
  
  
  
  


On the other end of town, Taekwoon sits cross-legged on Hakyeon’s couch, suffering through his best friend shaking his body in excitement, all the while screaming a litany of ‘I Told You So’ at him.

“Are you done?” Taekwoon asked tiredly, waving at Hakyeon’s sister when she poked her head in to see what was happening.

“Not at all,” Hakyeon returned with a megawatt grin, finally setting Taekwoon free. “Let me plan your date!”

“Absolutely not,” Taekwoon vetoed, quickly putting some distance between them and raising his palms. “I already know where I want to take Jaehwan. There’s nothing to plan.”

“Where are you going?” Hakyeon demanded, crossing his arms across his chest.

“The zoo,” Taekwoon replied simply. 

“Acceptable." Hakyeon nodded. "How are you going?” Hakyeon asked, gesturing at Taekwoon’s sling.

“Jaehwan has his learner’s permit, he can drive my car,” Taekwoon shrugged.

“When are you going?”

“Not gonna tell you,” Taekwoon replied, earning a poke to his leg.

“Fine, what are you planning to wear?” Hakyeon huffed.

“My regular stuff, with my leather jacket. Jaehwanie likes the leather jacket,” Taekwoon returned, smiling secretively. 

“Boring! Can I go help Jaehwanie plan his outfit?” Hakyeon asked eagerly.

“Absolutely not,” Taekwoon replied firmly, fixing a glare on Hakyeon which had never managed to work on his friend. “I don’t want to scare him off so soon.” 

“Is that why you’re not going public with your dating news?” Hakyeon hedged, raising an eyebrow.

“My private life is mine, and the school gossips enough as it is,” Taekwoon replied with a little frown.

“Can’t deny that,” Hakyeon shrugged. “So, where will you be eating?” 

“There’s a chicken place near the zoo that has good reviews on Facebook,” Taekwoon answered, wiggling his toes against the carpet on the floor.

“First of all, it’s so weird to hear  _ you  _ talking about Facebook,” Hakyeon giggled, easily moving away when Taekwoon tried to hit him. “And secondly, chicken? Seriously?”

“What? I like chicken, and so does he,” Taekwoon defended himself. “Are your 20 questions over? I’m hungry.” 

“Mom got your favourite chips,” Hakyeon informed, leading Taekwoon to the kitchen and filling up his glass with some soda. “One last question.”

“Ask away,” Taekwoon sighed, stuffing his cheeks full of chips.

“When are you planning to kiss him?” Hakyeon asked, fixing him with  _ A Look _ .

Taekwoon promptly choked, and went down to the floor, trying to catch his breath. And Hakyeon only cackled like the  _ worst _ best friend that he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the official end of this story....except the epilogue. I hope you have enjoyed the journey so far~  
> Let me know your thoughts ^_^


	10. Epilogue: Fleeting & fluttering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've come to the end of the story. Hope you enjoy this last installment!

Their date goes spectacularly well. 

The day starts with Jaehwan dominating the conversation per usual, but as soon as they end up in the vicinity of baby animals, Taekwoon starts babbling with a passion. Jaehwan listens with adoration and amusement as Taekwoon sticks to the cages of baby tigers and monkeys for a  _ long long time _ , talking about their off-the-chart cuteness. 

They then take the walkway under the aquarium of marine animals, and halfway through, Taekwoon reaches out to fit his hand into the back pocket of Jaehwan's jeans, cutting off his impersonation of a seal rather abruptly. Blushing, Jaehwan draws closer, curling his hand around Taekwoon's middle, and pretends not to see the smug smile settling on Taekwoon’s face. 

They spend the rest of the date holding hands and chatting and spending too much money feeding animals. Jaehwan makes a game of impersonating the animals and Taekwoon takes picture after picture after picture.

When Jaehwan drives them back to Taekwoon’s place, and moves around the car to thank Taekwoon for a lovely time, Taekwoon surprises him with a kiss to his lips. Jaehwan laughs at how cliched it is, and Taekwoon decides to swallow his laughter too, pressing Jaehwan against the side of his car.

The door connecting the garage to the house opens abruptly, and Taekwoon’s mom walks out, coming to a standstill upon noticing the duo springing apart. 

Taekwoon, now scarlet, makes hasty and awkward introductions between his mother and his boyfriend, and Jaehwan smiles his most charming smile at the parent whose expectations stifle his favourite hyung. 

Taekwoon’s mom ignores the situation altogether, and asks to borrow Taekwoon’s car for an emergency meeting, and Taekwoon watches her leave, a sad frown settling on his face. 

Jaehwan brushes his fingers through Taekwoon’s tresses to bring him back, and Taekwoon smiles at him for his effort. 

This time, Jaehwan leans in to kiss him softly, arms coming to rest around Taekwoon’s body, and Taekwoon closes his eyes, shuffling a little closer, and immersing his senses in all that is Jaehwan. 

_ Later that night, Taekwoon signs off his customary goodnight text with two ‘x’s, and Jaehwan melts into his bedsheet, earning a disgusted look from Jin, who’s sleeping over, or at least trying to fall asleep on the futon on Jaehwan’s floor. _

  
  
  
  
  


Two weeks later, Jaehwan receives his first invitation to a party. 

Hakyeon’s house party. 

_ Although...he quite thinks Hakyeon’s invitation is less of a request and more of a decree.  _

Somehow, Jaehwan manages to wrangle an invitation for Hongbin too. (“The cute soph with the deep dimples and Antonio Banderas hair?” Hakyeon had guessed when Jaehwan had mentioned Binnie. “He’s my baby cousin, and totally off limits, hyung,” Jaehwan had replied somberly, and then had - unnecessarily - been subjected to Hakyeon’s long and detailed list of qualities he looks for in an ideal partner). 

In the end, Jaehwan and Hongbin spend an hour together having a meltdown over what to wear to one of the school’s most talked-about party, and arrive half an hour after the party starts. 

Hongbin was quickly whisked away by Wonshik and Gongchan, and before Jaehwan could beeline towards Taekwoon who was being his usual glary self in a corner, Hakyeon had shown up and demanded his company.

By the time Taekwoon located them (having caught wind of Jaehwan’s arrival from Baekhyun), Hakyeon and Jaehwan are sitting alone on the porch, drunk and giggling. Both of them burst into secretive laughter and almost topple over upon catching sight of him, and Taekwoon sighs, plotting how to get both of them to bed. 

Normally, Taekwoon is responsible for hauling Hakyeon post-parties, but a drunk Hakyeon was wriggly and prone to bursting into dance anytime. And stopping him was a task requiring both hands and impeccable hand-eye coordination. Taekwoon unfortunately was a bit short-handed at the moment, especially with Jaehwan snuggling against him in a octopus-hug.

Thankfully, Chanyeol - seemingly sober and extremely dependable - happened to be passing by, and so Taekwoon enlists him to coax Hakyeon to bed, while he himself wraps a hand around Jaehwan, maneuvering him out of the room. 

Walking through the house, and frantically avoiding the dance floor filled with people way-past-drunk to cower away from him, Taekwoon leads Jaehwan upstairs, his good arm curled around Jaehwan’s frame.

He deposits Jaehwan in the bedroom where he usually sleeps over, and Jaehwan rolls around the bed, mimicking the sound of a mosquito. Laughing, Taekwoon crawls on the bed and bodily stops him by bracketing him with his knees, and tells Jaehwan to go to sleep. 

Jaehwan reaches up to play with the zipper of Taekwoon’s jacket, not meeting his eyes, and bargains that he’ll sleep only if Taekwoon lies down too. Taekwoon studies him for a good two minutes before nodding yes.

_ It is the first time they share a bed, sleeping with their bodies facing each other, and fingers loosely held under the duvet. _

The next day, Hakyeon gives them both the wiggling eyebrows over breakfast, and Jaehwan shoves food into his mouth and bolts as soon as he can. 

When the door closes behind him, Hakyeon bursts into laughter and tells Taekwoon he’s happy for him. Taekwoon huffs, but is happy too. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next week, Jaehwan promises to take Taekwoon to his physiotherapy session. So Taekwoon walks to the pet store where Jaehwan works after school, and sits on a crate, playing with a kitten, obstinately ignoring the kissy noises Baekhyun makes every time Jaehwan passes by. 

_ Jaehwan takes the liberty of ‘accidentally’ dropping a glass of water on Baekhyun, and Taekwoon swiftly kisses his cheek when Baekhyun turns away to hunt down tissues. _

And then they go to physio, and afterwards they take the bus to the cafe, where they spend two hours rescuing Sunggyu hyung from the combined disaster that is Sungyeol and Myungsoo together on coffee and counter duty. 

  
  
  
  
  


And that becomes a routine, until a fateful Friday, when the sling finally comes off, and Taekwoon races outside the doctor’s room to embrace a beaming Jaehwan. 

It is the first time Taekwoon learns the joy of wrapping both arms around Jaehwan’s narrow waist, and tasting the sweetness of bubblegum on his tongue. 

To celebrate Taekwoon’s recovery, they decide to have dinner with Sunggyu and Woohyun hyungs. 

Unfortunately, both adults happen to be working late that night. So, Jaehwan and Taekwoon make the executive decision to go swimming at the rooftop pool of Woohyun hyung’s apartment while they wait.

It is the first time they see each other shirtless, and Jaehwan watches in awe as Taekwoon excitedly practices his backstroke and breaststroke, swimming across the length of the pool,  _ absolutely not showing off _ . 

They eventually end up throwing water at each other, and Taekwoon corners Jaehwan against a ledge, tickling him until Jaehwan gasps for mercy and hides his face in Taekwoon’s neck. Taekwoon brackets him in a hug and holds him while he regains his breath. 

After sometime, Taekwoon slowly pulls away, and runs a hand down Jaehwan’s face and around his shoulder, before leaning back in and dotting a kiss on his cheekbone. Jaehwan’s face blooms with heat and he smiles oh so prettily at Taekwoon that Taekwoon can’t help but push Jaehwan against the ledge more firmly, capturing him in a tighter embrace. 

Taekwoon pauses for a moment before leaning back in and mouthing at Jaehwan’s precious neck. Jaehwan whines, gripping Taekwoon’s shoulders with both hands, and pulls him closer. So, Taekwoon does it again, and again, blood thrumming in his ears when he feels Jaehwan shakily wrap a leg around his waist and drown him in a searing kiss.

When they finally end up having dinner, Jaehwan can still feel the phantom grip of Taekwoon’s hand high on his thigh, and Taekwoon  _ knows _ that the nail marks Jaehwan has left down his back will sting for a good couple of days to come. He hopes and he prays that the marks don’t stay for long, and fixes a sidelong look at Jaehwan, wondering if the purpling bruise behind his ear is likely to fade anytime soon. 

_ Later, Woohyun hyung takes him aside and gives him The Talk on being safe, and Taekwoon turns beetroot, but listens carefully anyway. _

  
  
  
  
  


When school resumes the next week and Taekwoon is seen without his sling, Yixing almost cries tears of joy. Shownu actually comes forward and bearhugs Taekwoon before springing back and running away with a stilted promise to ensure the entire team will come to practice. 

Life becomes hectic, with Taekwoon back to practicing and coaching the team, and also mentoring Seungyoon and Shownu for their impending leadership roles in the sports team. 

Jaehwan gets absorbed in theatre for his lead role in an upcoming production of Cinderella, and also practicing for the regional math olympiad with the team. 

But they still make time to see each other, to text, and sneak away for quick kisses and heavy makeout sessions, every now and then.  

When it’s Taekwoon’s turn to start applying for universities, Jaehwan helps him research what will help him keep a sports scholarship while studying music composition on the side. 

Jaehwan promises to not let the distance come between then, soothing worries that Taekwoon was too afraid to speak aloud. And Taekwoon hugs him, filled to the brim with adoration and gratitude for his boyfriend. 

After dinner at Jaehwan’s home that night, Taekwoon decides to stay over, and promptly falls asleep on Jaehwan’s lap as Jaehwan reads over his script for the umpteenth time. When Hongbin shows up to ask if either of them want to game with him, he finds Taekwoon curled like a cat around Jaehwan, and Jaehwan absentmindedly rubbing small patterns on his back. 

Hongbin snickers, muttering about domesticity and sappiness as he closes the door, cutting off Jaehwan’s magnificent eye roll.

  
  
  
  
  


It is during one of the crucial games of the season when Taekwoon scores - spectacularly - in the final minute of the game, and instead of joining the huddle of his team, he jogs to the bleachers where an excited Jaehwan is pretending to understand sports for his sake. Taekwoon can’t help but grin when he notices Hakyeon shoving Jaehwan to run down to the front row. 

The reach the stands at the same time, and Taekwoon fits his hands around Jaehwan’s waist and easily lifts him over the low barrier, before planting a loud kiss on him.

“I love you,” Taekwoon proclaims, making at least 3 nearby cheerleaders gasp as he crushes Jaehwan to his chest. 

“I love you more,” Jaehwan smiles into their hug, before yelping as he feels Taekwoon’s teeth close around his shoulder. 

Before Jaehwan can open his mouth to complain, Taekwoon quickly steals another kiss from him, pats his butts, and runs back to celebrate with his team, leaving Jaehwan at the mercy of both their screaming best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story to the very end! I had a lot of fun ~~and some struggles~~ writing this story, and I would love to know your thoughts on it!
> 
> Whose story do you think I should tackle next - when I eventually get to it - in this series? Hakyeon? Jin? Or, maybe someone else? Leave me a comment to let me know!


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